Chasing Sugarplums [ Almond Cookie x Reader ] Human AU

8 || The Resist to Idle

The badge in your coat pocket is cold to the touch as you walk on the sidewalk. You shouldn't be here, or doing anything that is part of your job due to the declaration enforced , not by Detective Almond, but by the current Commissioner of Parfaedia City, herself. The declaration itself had forced what is left of the  M.E.H  and all other departments to halt investigations.

Instead, the Commissioner wanted to concentrate the city's resources  into rebuilding the four lost buildings in the city, and to consolidate the victim family members. Which, you and Almond had done.

You and Almond have been to so many funerals in a single week.  Showing face. Showing sympathy. Yet, it felt like you were paying the price for surviving whilst the others had died. You could have sworn to yourself that if you were forced  to go to another funeral, you were sure you would loose it and quit then and there.

The stupidity of the declaration bothers you. The funerals were understandable, but the half of investigation was stupid. A terrorist was running loose. Silent. Unseen. Unknown.

You silently scoff, knowing that issue was stupid. You stare at the ashen empty lot where the HQ once stood. Just before the incident, this place was brimming with people moving in and out of the building  in a cacophony of work and chaos. You could make out a few sections of walls and floors in the rubble, especially a piece of familiar glass, now scorched from Almond's office. It was still surreal, to know how it happened, as it was the only explanation. Gas tanks below being ignited roughly the same hour the fire at the museum started. Knowing that the fires where close to each other by time, and not in distance, you and the detective knew that there were multiple people involved.

You walk closer to the rubble, trying to find the staircase that lead down to the basement. After brushing around, you find a big wooden board, and slide it out the way. You see the stair case down, covered in 'no entry' tape. "Shoot.." You mumbled, "The clean up team must have closed this off, hence the board hiding it.." You try to peek into the dark path, turning on your phone flashlight and pointing towards it. You see the doors leading to the gas tanks were on the floor, off its hinges. With the concrete walls, it had survived the explosion. What prompted you to go down there, however was the burning question, How did that cause the fire to spread? The officer from yesterday mentioned it was through the vents, but you needed to see how.

Your phone flashlight in hand, you rip away the tape with your free hand, and go down. Your footsteps echo as you go, flashing your light around. You can make out the remains of the wooden plaque that used to say, 'Working Personnel only.' laying on the floor near the half burnt wooden doors. You enter the room and see shrapnel of metal laying around. some of them had melted into the floor due to the intense heat. another proof that it wasn't normal fire. You prepare your phone camera and start to take pictures. you take pictures of the ventilation, where the gas might have spread and in turn spread the fire. The gas must have leaked first, you thought to your self, then was ignited.

You make your way to the ruptured tanks and pieces of pipes that remain on the concrete walls and ceiling. You thought the tanks were just... tanks, but no, they were wide, cylindrical and bulbous, each one mounted to the walls. Now though, whatever is left of them has melted in on themselves. You count roughly 4 or 5 of these tanks, giving you a picture of how much gas there was and how far it could have spread. You realize now that maybe a lot of the victims where poisoned by the gas before even realizing the fire was coming. You snap another picture, and then out of the corner of your eyes, you find a half melted metal piece. It had a carved symbol, most of it melted. You pick it up with a hankie, not wanting to cover it with your finger prints and take a picture. You wrap it with your handkerchief and stuff it in your pocket. After looking around one last time, you decided to leave, and investigate the other sites alone. Since Almond was forced to stay home, due to the issue and think of something. It didn't cross his mind thought, that you'd be doing some digging on your own.